Loyal Beyond Death
by Solo Loco Ellingson-Rose
Summary: It started as the Straw Hat's typical adventure. It ended as the Straw Hat's worst nightmare. Set after stories' current events, but with no Franky. Deathfic. No pairings. Bad summary. Worse title. Rated T JUST in case.


Just so y'all know, the story takes place about two or three years (Including the one year mentioned in the fic.) after current story line, but as the summary says, without Franky.

Also, if enough people want me to, I may continue it. And trust me, if I do, it'll have a rather happy ending. Unlike now. I mean, how happy can a death fic be?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of it's characters. Eiichiro Oda does. And he is awesome to the umpteenth degree.

* * *

One year, one year…

_No… No…_

… One year…

_No, No!_

… 52 weeks…

_NO! I-its…_

…365 days exactly…

_It's not possible…_

…To the very hour…

_This is a dream!_

… One year since that day.

_He can't be dead!_

_-- _

Swordsman, Marksman, Navigator, Archeologist, Doctor, and Cook were gathered in the lounge having their first crew 'meeting' in over a year since… That day.

No one really knew why Zoro had called the meeting, even Zoro himself, but he was the first-mate so they had listened, and for the first time other than for fighting and meals, the six crew members were together in the same room.

And, despite the pain it caused them all, a stained, cut, bloody, beaten up straw hat lay on the table in front of them, looking for all the world like it too felt their sorrow.

There wasn't actually too much damage done to the hat that hadn't already been there. The most distinguishing new feature however, was the large gash across where one's right eye would be, going deep enough into the hat to have created quite a groove in the wearer's face.

Sanji looked around the room from his spot of leaning on the back of the armchair Nami was curled up in. Robin and Usopp were on the couch with Chopper between them, Zoro was the only one alone. He just stood there, leaning against the wall, not entirely separated from the rest, but far enough away that he wasn't in the direct vicinity of the hat.

Sanji could understand that. He himself could barely look at his captain's most prized possession. But what he couldn't understand was why Zoro had to spring this on them. He had simply told them a week ago that the next week was the one year anniversary, that they would be gathering in the lounge, and anyone who said they didn't want to - no one had missed the look he had given to Sanji and Nami - was saying that Luffy didn't deserve their respect. All right, maybe Sanji did understand. It made sense, but that didn't make it any easier to stomach - especially for his darling Nami-swan. Heck, for all of them. Even Robin could barely hold back the tears, and Usopp, though he was stronger than he was before, had his arm around Chopper as they both silently cried their eyes out.

Walking over to Zoro, Sanji stood against the wall beside him, leaning over so as to talk into his ear. "You could've given us a little more warning marimo."

No reply.

"Zoro…" Sanji said warningly.

"You should've known it was coming." Zoro growled back, glancing at the blonde haired man next to him, the slight flashing in his eyes scarcely a whisper. _"His eyes. They've looked so different ever since… Luffy…"_

Sanji still couldn't even think the word.

He had noticed that there was a new look in everyone's eyes. Well, of course there would be, Luffy had been their captain. But Zoro was the worst. His eyes were so… Empty. They used to carry his emotions. His anger, his sadness, they would even take on his lazy grin if he was relaxed enough.

But now, they held nothing, not his pain, not his joy – if there was even any joy left in him to be shone. Not even his rage would come fully to his eyes anymore. It was like his eyes were… dead. Dead like… like…

Looking back to the rest of the crew, Sanji's eyes narrowed. Now Nami was crying too. "Zoro…" He hissed again.

The green haired man didn't even turn this time. He simply nodded slightly, and mouthed the word 'Fine.'

Sanji silently made his way over to Nami and gently pulled her up out of her chair, then went to Robin, did the same, and walked out with them, Chopper and Usopp right behind him.

Finally, Zoro stepped away from the wall, and seated himself in the armchair, still warm from Nami having just been sitting there. The pain was written clearly on his face as he remembered how they had come to posses the hat but not it's owner…

--

"**Anything?!" Nami shouted over the fierce wind, her hair blowing around her face. They had been looking Luffy for two, almost three weeks already, with no sign anywhere.**

"**Nothing!" Usopp called down from the crows nest, clinging to it's boards for dear life as the ship rocked around with the storm.**

**It had started with a normal adventure, if those could possibly be called normal, with the normal procedure. The Straw Hat Crew goes in and does their worst, the usual outcome being that they all come out fine, injured perhaps, but alive. This time however was a bit different. The beginning was the same, but as Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Robin, and Chopper ran back to the ship, Luffy was nowhere to be found. Even when they met up with Zoro, who had last seen Luffy, on the way out their luck was no better. Zoro hadn't seen him since he had everything but thrown Zoro out of the room where the man he was fighting with was, shouting at him to set sail, that he'd be all right, and he'd catch up soon. **

**However, as fate would have it, Luffy didn't catch up. After much deliberation, and making sure there were multiple other ways to get away from the island fortress they were on, the crew had done what he told them to, and had set sail, staying within Gomu Gomu range while still obeying orders. Until they were pushed out farther by the exploding, crumbling, and sinking of said island fortress.  
After standing in shock for a number of minutes, the crew had made their way through the wreckage, that being faster than going around it all. **

"_**He must have gotten away from the other side!"**_** were the thoughts on everyone's minds as they hurried to find their captain. **

**So the search had carried on, past land marks on the horizon in all directions, sometimes following the log pose, other times just wandering and searching.**

**Nami gritted her teeth as she looked around the ship. Zoro was leaning hard over the rail, scanning his eyes around, not that it would help from his altitude, but the whip staff was already crowded by Chopper, Sanji, and quite a few of Robin's hands trying to keep the ship relatively straight. Finally resigning herself to it, she called once more up to Usopp. "Gah! That's enough Usopp! It's too dangerous up there!"**

"**But Nami!"**

"**Get down here Usopp!"**

"**Alright…" The marksman sighed, casting his gaze around one last time before beginning his descent. Having about as much luck as he had had for the past few weeks, Usopp started climbing. But when he was about half way down, something to the side caught his eye. A yellow and red something that Usopp knew all too well. He climbed faster.**

"**Nami, Zoro! Look there!"**

"**Huh? Where?" Nami asked, looking from the suspended marksman to the sea, while Zoro just checked around for whatever it was the long nosed man meant.**

"**There!" Usopp replied, jumping the rest of the way and running to rail to stand by Zoro. Once there he pointed out into the water. "It's Luffy's straw hat!"**

--

Zoro's gaze refocused as he came out of his memories and back into reality. All of their adventures together, especially that last one, it had all happened so fast; too fast. Taking the straw hat gently in his hands, the swordsman looked it over for what seemed like the millionth time since they had found it, fingering the frayed edges where the gash was. Even if Luffy had been fully conscious, which he couldn't have been with all the blood loss that kind of cut to the face would bring, he wouldn't have lasted long alone in the ocean.

For one of the few times in his life, Zoro's strong hands began shaking as he brought the hat up and pressed it against his face, willing himself to wake up from the bad dream which he knew was real.

Then came the salty rain down his face.

For his captain was dead.


End file.
